Many thanks to Jerzy Miller, the Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration for hosting me today at a superbly organised and very important European Civil Protection Exercise. It’s the second time that Poland has organised an event like this and on this occasion emergency response teams from the Czech republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine are also taking part.

We talk a lot about preparing for the worst so it’s great to be able to see these words translated into action. Of course we hope that the kind of accidents envisaged here at EU CARPATHEX 2011 will never happen but equally it’s tremendously reassuring to know that the work which goes on quietly behind the scenes year in, year out in preparation for what’s known as a “CBRN incident” is yielding results like these. And it’s great to see European cooperation and coordination in action, including an EU strategic partner.

“CBRN” stands for “chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear” by the way. These sort of exercises, in which our capacity to respond to a CBRN incident is tested, are regular features. They provide an excellent opportunity to hone and polish the procedures for receiving and providing external assistance through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which is activated via our Monitoring and Information Centre – the control hub of EU emergency response – in Brussels.

But today’s event isn’t merely a show or a kit demonstration: it’s a valuable exercise in trying to identify any weaknesses and learning how to eliminate them. We test what we build together. We learn from each other.

Let’s not forget the sad but inescapable truth that disasters are increasing , both in frequency and intensity. European cooperation is a must.

One of the scenarios which the teams have been responding to in a variety of simulated exercises includes rescuing football fans from a train after it collided with another carrying dangerous toxic substances.

I have had an opportunity to discuss with Minister Jerzy Miller our ambitions on prevention, preparedness and response to unforeseen disasters. Poland’s recent experience – with the massive floods of 2010 – shows how important it is to work together and do more across the whole cycle of disaster management.

Number of views: 3529

Tags: Civil Protection, Poland